Fuel cells have received a great deal of attention in recent years for their potential as electricity generators having a relatively low environmental impact. The basic principles of fuel cells have been understood for a long time, but they have had very little widespread use due to their comparatively high cost of production and the difficulty in managing their operation. In addition, while energy generation by a fuel cell typically produces very little in the way of chemical pollution, this benefit is often negated by the energy needed to produce and package the fuel for the fuel cell.
Different types of fuel cells also tend to have different operating parameters that can limit the effectiveness of a particular type for particular applications. For example, certain fuel cells operate at extremely high temperatures, while others require a compressed gas as a fuel source. These different requirements can create safety issues or limit the power capacity, longevity or other substantive characteristics of a fuel cell which, in turn, limits its utility for certain applications.
Despite the limitations of certain types of fuel cells, they remain a promising technology, particularly for certain power applications. The basic structure of a fuel cell is known in the art, and will not be discussed herein. However, an exemplary arrangement is shown in FIG. 1, in which a fuel cell 100 is depicted schematically as providing electrical power to an electric load 104, which is representative of an electrical system deriving power from the fuel cell 100. For electricity generation, the fuel cell must maintain a reaction that requires a source of an appropriate fuel, e.g., hydrogen (H2). In FIG. 1, this source is represented as fuel tank 102, which has a fluid connection to the fuel cell 100. Depending on the type of fuel cell and fuel being used, different operating conditions must also be kept within a predetermined range. The operating temperature of the fuel cell, for example, is different from one type of fuel cell to another. In addition, the temperature of the fuel tank must be appropriate for the type of fuel being used, so as to ensure a proper flow of fuel into the fuel cell.